Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Neighbourhood watching

Today was a 'red-letter' day. Not sure where that expression comes from, other than Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" where his heroine had to wear a screaming red A on her chest. A for adultery. Anyway, it was just a day for taking note in my book.

Today, I found a cafe that I am pleased with. Now that is picky I know, because I am in Paris and cafes are a franc-a-dozen, one would think. But I want one that doesn't serve frothee-coffee. That doesn't pile a plate high with limp-lettuce and fatty-frites! So in my wander of the 7th (between Invalides and La Tour it is known as 7th-sud) I turned a few corners and blow-me-down was in rue St-Dominique, outside this most un-French looking pastry shop.

It is very much a woman's shop - no wine,no fries. But lots of sugar. I had the sandwich de jour, which was a gorgeously crunchy roll. Plus a grand creme, but really did not need THAT much milk so a Petit creme will suffice tomorrow. I rounded it off with a very lip-smacking tarte citron. And all that cost 13 euros - at an exchange rate of 69c, you do the math, as they say.

Prior to that though, I did myself proud. I posted some letters and bought more stamps. I went into three shops looking for a non-slip mat for the shower-over-bath. Found one for E10.95. Found a plug for the kitchen sink for E4.95 AND an old ladies; shopping trolley for E34.90 which was a rip-off.

Now does all that scream out that I am living here!! Add to that, that today is the end of the first week and the longest continuous stay in Paris for me. AND AND AND ... I am doing a load of washing.

Useful Research Sites

Candles

They are the last romantics, these candles;Upside down hearts of light tipping wax fingers,And the fingers, taken in by their own haloes,Grown milky, almost clear, like the bodies of saints.It is touching, the way they'll ignore

A whole family of prominent objectsSimply to plumb the deeps of an eyeIn its hollow of shadows, its fringe of reeds,And the owner past thirty, no beauty at all.Daylight would be more judicious,